The Morning Improv

From mid-2001 to mid-2002, and again from mid-2003 to mid-2004, I spent an hour or two each morning, seven days a week, making improvisational comics, nearly all based on reader suggestions. Each improv was drawn in a different style. Some were funny. Many were weird. Most seemed to end in death.

The results were a mixed bag, quality-wise, but a few came together nicely. Some personal favorites:

On the flipside, there were some out-and-out disasters. Notable failed improvs include the earliest two (didn't really know what I was doing yet), #21, with its aimless and ulltimately abandoned "story," and #5 which, despite a cool title and some bits I liked, had the dubious distinction of being nobody's favorite improv in a poll we conducted in 2002.

Dada was a always a big part of my childhood art obsessions and it steered a lot of these comics. From Man-Ray to Monty Python, nerds of my generation in the Boston suburbs during the '60s and '70s had a pretty finely-tuned appreciation for the irrational. The logo above with its Millard Fillmore portrait could have come straight out a They Might Be Giants video (TMBG were part of that generation and the Johns grew up in the town next to mine—also, we were all friends with Brian Dewan which might have been a factor). Inventions like Five-Card Nancy came from a similar place.

Two final titles were selected by readers when the feature went on haitus in 2004. They were "The Neverending Comic" (suggested by Andy Lang) and "I Like Cheese!" (suggested by Bob Oosterwijk). I'm duty bound to at least do these last two titles, so keep an eye out for more improvs in the hopefully not-too-distant future.